A Downtown Church in the Heart of High Point
First United Methodist Church sits at 512 N. Main Street in downtown High Point, North Carolina, occupying an entire city block between Richardson, Church, Main, and Wrenn Streets. Its motto - "Sharing the Hope of Christ from the Heart of High Point as we Worship, Connect, and Serve" - captures a congregation that reaches well beyond its walls. The church describes itself as "an outwardly focused community where all are boldly welcomed and included; where spiritual, emotional, and physical needs are met; and lives are transformed through a relationship with Jesus Christ." Three Sunday morning services, an established preschool, a community food pantry, a clothing closet, a monthly meal, and mission teams serving from Central Appalachia to downtown High Point all flow from that central purpose.
Three Sunday Morning Services, One Welcome
First offers three distinct Sunday services so that worshipers of every age and preference can find a home.
The 8:30 a.m. Informal Service follows the pattern of a traditional service in the intimate setting of Holy Family Chapel on the first floor of the Education Building on Main Street. Early risers appreciate its quieter, smaller feel.
At 9:00 a.m., the Contemporary Service fills a newly renovated worship center at 323 N. Wrenn Street, directly behind the Education Building. The Praise Team leads upbeat music paired with rich multimedia, and coffee is brewed every morning with light refreshments and generous hospitality. This service is livestreamed.
The 11:00 a.m. Traditional Service brings singles, couples, and families together in the Sanctuary on Main Street. The Chancel Choir and a pipe organ anchor music drawn from the church's liturgical heritage, and a "Moment for All Ages" gives children up to age five a short, interactive message with the Director of Children's Ministries before they head to the Education Building for the remainder of the service. This service is also livestreamed.
Both the 9:00 and 11:00 services are broadcast on the church's Facebook page and YouTube channel, and a sermon archive is maintained there for catch-up viewing.
The Campus: Sanctuary, Education Building, and the Wrenn Street Spaces
First's campus is a small village in itself. The Sanctuary building anchors the corner of First and Richardson, while the Education Building faces Main. Behind them, opening onto Wrenn Street, sit the Praise & Worship Center and several ministry spaces - including A Shared Blessing Food Pantry at 330 Wrenn Street and the Good Shepherd Shop Clothing Closet. A bird's-eye-view map of the block is available for first-time visitors who want to find their bearings.
Parking is available in the church lot on Main Street, with guest spaces set aside for visitors. Handicap parking is offered both in the lot and directly in front of the Sanctuary. Street parking is also available along Main and Wrenn. Ushers are stationed at each worship space to assist anyone who needs a hand, and a ramp between the Sanctuary and Education buildings can be reached from a pull-through driveway on Wrenn.
A Special Blend: Coffee with a Mission
One of the most distinctive features of First's campus is A Special Blend, a non-profit coffee shop adjacent to the parking lot on Wrenn Street that employs adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The shop serves coffee, pastries, and breakfast and brunch, and visitors are encouraged to arrive early, grab a drink, and meet a few of the neighbors who make up First's daily life. Many First members stop by before and after services.
Music as a Calling
Music runs deep at First United Methodist Church, where Wesley Hudson oversees a rich program of choral and handbell ensembles serving every age and style of worship.
The Chancel Choir leads music for the 11:00 traditional service, singing a wide range of traditional, classical, and contemporary sacred anthems. Rehearsals are held Wednesday evenings from 7:00 to 8:30 in the choir room; no music-reading experience is required. The Chancel Carillon handbell choir plays once a month for the 11:00 service and provides special music for the 8:30 and 9:00 services, with rehearsals on Wednesdays from 6:00 to 7:00. A more informal Chapel Choir sings for the 8:30 service, practicing the first Tuesday of each month from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. in the Chapel.
The Praise Team - open to singers and instrumentalists - provides music each week for the 9:00 contemporary service, rehearsing Wednesdays from 7:30 to 9:00 p.m. in the Praise and Worship space on Wrenn Street under the direction of JJ Gibbs. The Joy Ringers, an intergenerational handbell choir directed by Sonja Tomlinson, meets Tuesday evenings at 6:45 in the Handbell Room and rings roughly once a month. The Christ Ambassadors Men's Choir offers a more charismatic option for men who love to sing, while the M&M's Children's Choir welcomes kids aged five and up to learn to sing, read music, and play handbells.
Beyond the church's own ensembles, the High Point Community Chorale and the High Point Community Handbell Choir call First's facilities home. The Chorale rehearses Sundays from 3:00 to 4:30 p.m., the Handbell Choir from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m., and both present spring and winter concerts in the Sanctuary that benefit local non-profits. Both ensembles are open to all ages and experience levels.
Children, The Nest, and Child Enrichment Preschool
Children are central to life at First. The Nest, the church's children's ministry for infants through fifth grade, lives on the right side of the Education Building. Kim Myers - affectionately known as "Mrs. Myers" - serves as Director of Family Ministries, bringing her 15 years of experience leading the church's preschool to a ministry that emphasizes Sunday School, music groups, family events, and seasonal celebrations such as the Super Cereal Bowl, Pumpkin Palooza, the Easter Car Hop, Christmas in Candyland, and the Night of Joy celebration each Advent.
Sunday mornings offer several options for the youngest worshipers. Children are always welcome in any service, and rocking chairs and "Bird Boxes" stocked with fidget toys, coloring pages, and Children's bulletins help them engage. At the 11:00 service, children up to age five are invited forward for "A Moment for All Ages" with Mrs. Myers, then walk together to Room 113 of the Education Building, where parents can pick them up after worship. Children's Sunday School for ages five through sixth grade is offered from 10:00 to 10:45 on the second floor of the Education Building.
The nursery, staffed by paid caregivers and background-checked volunteers, is open Sundays from 9:00 to 10:00 in the Praise & Worship space and from 9:45 to 12:15 in Room 113 of the Education Building, caring for infants through age four.
Just as important to many families is Child Enrichment Preschool, the church's half-day weekday program for children from three months through Transitional Kindergarten. The school runs from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, September through May, and includes weekly Chapel, weekly music classes, and themed weeks such as Lego Week, Cowboy Week, Farm Week, Dr. Seuss Week, and water play. Tuition for the 2026-27 school year is $270 per month for a three-day class and $350 per month for a five-day class, with a scholarship program available to qualifying families. The school joins the Harris Teeter Together in Education program, where supporters link their VIC card with code 4990 to direct a percentage of qualifying purchases to the school.
Youth, College, and Young Adults
Students in grades seven through twelve are invited to the United Methodist Youth Fellowship (UMYF), which gathers for fellowship, study, and service. College students and families can connect with the church's College Ministry Team, which sends notes of encouragement, care packages, and goodies throughout the year to young adults away from home.
Adults: Sunday School, Bible Studies, and Small Groups
First offers several ongoing ways for adults to grow in faith. The Bill Harris Pathfinders Class formed in September 2024 from the merger of two long-standing classes - one from First UMC and one from the former Christ UMC - and uses a quarterly curriculum alongside teacher-chosen books and topics. Adults of all ages are welcome to visit or join. Each November the class sells pecans - plain for holiday baking and chocolate for gift-giving - with proceeds supporting ministries such as the Monthly Community Meal, Mobile Meals, A Shared Blessing Food Pantry, the Good Shepherd Shop, and Naaman's Recovery Village.
The Gathering Class meets in Holy Family Chapel and welcomes adults in their forties through sixties, though anyone who'd like to join is welcome. The Wesley/Allred Class, founded in 1969, gathers at 9:45 a.m. on Sundays in the Sanctuary building and follows a variety of resources including the International Lessons and teacher-researched materials.
Men are invited to "Bibles, Brews, and Bros," a monthly Bible study held on the second Thursday of each month at 5:30 p.m. at Nomad Wine Works on Wrenn Street. Throughout the year, Pastor Josh leads additional Bible studies during Advent and Lent. Adult ministries also include United Women in Faith (formerly UMW), whose Circles gather in small groups for service, mission, and fellowship, with Jane Lain serving as a general contact.
Saints Alive: A Senior Ministry that Lives Up to Its Name
Saints Alive is First's active ministry for adults sixty and older - though anyone is welcome. The group organizes trips, luncheons, holiday outings, mahjong classes, and seasonal events. Recent outings have included visits to Dewberry Farm in Kernersville for tulip viewing and other spring and fall gatherings that bring members together for fellowship and fun.
A Mission-Driven Church
First's outward-facing ministry is unusually broad for a downtown congregation, and several of its programs have become signature community efforts.
A Shared Blessing Food Pantry
Operating entirely on volunteer energy from 330 Wrenn Street, A Shared Blessing Food Pantry distributes groceries - including fresh fruit and vegetables, canned goods, baked goods, and meat - to community members in need every Thursday morning. Special treats are included for children during holidays. Volunteer task teams sort cans, package produce, log in visitors, and carry boxes to cars one or two Thursday mornings a month, with an additional Saturday or Sunday afternoon every other month for sorting Simple Gesture donations.
The Good Shepherd Shop Clothing Closet
Opened in February 2023 in renovated space on the Wrenn Street campus, the Good Shepherd Shop offers gently used men's, women's, and children's clothing, shoes, and children's books free of charge. Shoppers may select up to six items per visit, plus any needed shoes, socks, and undergarments. In its first days, the shop gave out nearly 1,000 articles of clothing to roughly 38 to 45 customers per day. Hours are Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., with donations accepted during those same hours.
Monthly Community Meal
Since September 6, 2012, First has hosted a free community meal on the first Thursday of each month, open to anyone in the surrounding neighborhood. Volunteers prepare, serve, and share a hot meal with guests, and the December meal doubles as a Christmas party where each guest receives a gift - for many, perhaps the only gift of the season. The meal grew out of Bible study reflection on Change the World by Mike Slaughter and a desire to welcome neighbors with food, fellowship, and friendship.
Basin & Towel
Born as a 2021 Lenten Mission Project, Basin & Towel collects hygiene items, cleaning supplies, and baby basics and distributes them through Northwood Elementary School, West End Mission, and A Shared Blessing Food Pantry to families in the High Point community struggling to afford basic necessities.
Northwood School Mission Project
Born from the 2021 "Venturing Beyond the Steeple" Vacation Bible School, this ongoing mission supports Northwood Elementary School through the Backpack Blessing each August (more than 250 backpacks distributed in a recent year), the Birthday Club each month, Adopt-a-Classroom partnerships, and the Christmas Angels program - which, in a recent year, provided more than 500 gifts, one for every student.
Appalachia Service Project
First has sent volunteers to the Appalachia Service Project for more than thirty consecutive years, helping make homes warmer, drier, and safer for families in Central Appalachia.
Open Door Ministries
Volunteers prepare and serve dinner at Open Door Ministries two nights a month - the second Friday and third Tuesday - helping to alleviate the pain of homelessness and hunger in the High Point community.
Birthday Club
Each month, First delivers birthday bags filled with small gifts to Northwood Elementary students who might otherwise go without a birthday celebration.
Sunday Table: A Weekly Rhythm of Food, Fellowship, and Formation
Sunday Table is First's weekly Sunday evening gathering from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. A shared meal in the Fellowship Hall runs from 5:00 to 5:30 p.m., followed by classes and small groups for children, youth, and adults from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. - an hour of food, fellowship, and faith formation that closes out the weekend.
Vacation Bible School
Vacation Bible School brings the campus alive each summer. The 2026 program, "Rainforest Falls," runs Monday through Thursday, June 15 to 18, from 8:30 a.m. to noon in the Allred Center, with breakfast and snacks included. Children who have completed a four-year-old preschool program through fifth grade are welcome, with a June 1 registration deadline. The church recruits Crew Leaders, Station Leaders, and Music & Skit Leaders from teens through grandparents to make the week possible.
What to Wear, Where to Park, How to Visit
First is a "come as you are" place. Most worshipers at the 8:30 and 9:00 services dress in casual or business-casual clothes, while the 11:00 service tends to be a bit more formal - but comfort is the only real expectation. Ushers are stationed at each worship space, guest parking is reserved in the Main Street lot, and handicap parking is available both in the lot and on the street in front of the Sanctuary. Pastors Josh Barnes and Randy welcome a heads-up from anyone planning a visit so they can be on the lookout.
A Safe Place for Children and Youth
First has adopted a Safe Sanctuary Policy, approved by the Church Council in November 2024, that applies to all employees, volunteers, and outside groups using the church's facilities. The policy covers background checks, training, and reporting, and Safe Sanctuary training is provided through the Western NC Conference of the United Methodist Church. Anyone working with children, youth, or vulnerable adults must also be CPR certified.
Giving, the App, and Staying Connected
Giving can be made during Sunday morning offerings, online through the church's secure giving platform, or by automatic bank draft. Pledges and commitments help plan the church's mission and ministry for the year ahead, and Finance Secretary Jennifer McClure is available to help with adjustments.
The First Church mobile app - available for iOS and Android - puts the church calendar, event registration, attendance, and giving at members' fingertips. The Weekly E-Blast keeps the congregation informed of all programs and events, while CONNECTIONS, the church's quarterly magazine, highlights the ministries in greater depth.